Page 327 of The Winslow Brothers

Jude shakes his head tauntingly, a look of power and knowledge in his eyes. “You just don’t get it yet, dude. Once you have the kind of thing I have with Sophie, you want to do all the stuff. The house, the babies, the growing old… It’s a weird feeling but a seriously good one.”

“Bull-shit,” I squawk, loudly enough that it gets the attention of both Flynn and Remy from across the room. They head our way immediately, after exchanging a painfully annoying “older brother” look. The fucks started rubbing in their geriatric age the moment I could talk and haven’t stopped since. I imagine they both think they’re coming over here to school me somehow.

“What’s bullshit?” Remy asks, crossing his arms over his chest in his favorite power pose, his feet planted shoulder-width apart.

“Nothing,” I say with a roll of my eyes and a swig of my beer.

Jude laughs, the traitor. “Ty here doesn’t believe me. I told him that when you find the right person, you like the idea of babies and shit. Want it, even.”

“Okay,like the idea, sure,” I correct with a wag of my finger and beer bottle. “But you’re fucking rooting for it. And that, I don’t believe.”

“It’s true. When you feel content, you want all that shit,” Rem says, totally throwing me off. Of all the guys in this group, I thought he’d at least be on my side.

“You can’t be serious, Mr. Hermit. For fuck’s sake, I don’t even think I’ve seen you learn a woman’s name since Charlotte left you at the altar a decade and a half ago.”

Jude’s eyes round, and Flynn sighs.I know, I know. The whole left at the altar thing is something we don’t ever talk about. But I’m sick of it. We’re two fortunes down at this point, and there’s no way everyone can ignore it forever. I know I can’t. Not after I found Cleo last spring.

Remy glances from Flynn to Jude and then, finally, over to me. His eyes are hard, but in a completely unexpected twist, they’re also shining with respect.

“You’re right, Ty. I haven’t settled down. I haven’t found the one. And to be frank, I haven’t even tried. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want those things. That I can’t see that Jude and Flynn are happy and what they have with Sophie and Daisy is real.”

“What the hell? They must be pumping something through the vents here,” I croon. “You’ve all lost your minds.”

Flynn rolls his eyes and walks away without comment. It’s not all that surprising since he doesn’t say much ever, but I at least expected him to tell me to fuck off or something. Somehow, his silent exit is even scarier.

Remy and Jude share a look before shrugging.

“Think what you want, man,” Jude says, unbothered. “You’ll get it one day.”

My eyes narrow at their dropping the topic so easily, and then I jump as arms loop through both of mine at the elbows. On one side, my sister Winnie. On the other, my mother.

I glance to the side to see Flynn standing there smirking, the bastard. I should have known he’d try to teach me a lesson, even if it wasn’t with words. He’s sicced the biggest romantics of the group on me.

“Ty!” Winnie cries excitedly, leaning into me and tugging on my arm. “Flynn said the shower’s got you thinking about having babies!”

My gaze jerks to the dirty, backhanded bastard again, and Jude and Remy are smiling like a bunch of amused idiots.

“No, Win. I’m not. Kind of have to settle down with a woman first, you know?”

“And when are you planning to do that, Ty?” my mom chimes in, trapping me between a rock and a hard place.

“I don’t know, Mom.”

“Oh, Ty Alexander. I swear. I’m going to be dead before you give me grandbabies, huh?” she asks on a sigh, sarcasm in her voice.

“You have four other kids, Mom, and they seem pretty fucking busy—”

She points one stern index finger at me. “Ty, language!”

“I’m just saying…you don’t need grandkids from me. You’re going to have plenty.”

“You don’t get it yet, but one day you will, sweetie,” my mother says with a gentle pat to my chest. “Grandkids are different from each and every child. Getting to see the person you’ve raised shape the mind of a little human is special.”

“What if I don’t want kids, though? Some people never want kids.”

Winnie scoffs. “You’re right, Ty. Some people. But you’re not those people. You were built to be a dad. A good one. You just don’t know it yet.”

I don’t know where she’s getting that from, but I’m beginning to think they’ve both been hitting the booze a little too hard.

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